Save money and the environment

PLASTIC: Plastic is a hot topic of discussion right now, but why? The main reason is that since we started producing this amazing material, none of it has gone away, and it is accumulating in our seas, rivers, deserts and countryside at an alarming rate (current estimates indicate about 6.4 million tons a year). Plastic is a man-made material which means there are very few organisms that can naturally break it down. Unlike organic debris which is biodegradable, plastics only disintegrate into ever smaller pieces and this process continues right down to molecular level.

​The result of this is that some plastics may stay in the environment for up to 1,000 years...

We all need to take this problem seriously and reduce our plastic imprint. Now.

plastic and Its uses

Plastic in the UK

In the UK alone:

275,000 tonnes of plastic are used each year, that’s about 15 million bottles per day.

Most families throw away about 40kg of plastic per year, which could otherwise be recycled.

The use of plastic in the UK is growing at about 4% each year.

The average UK household uses 480 plastic bottles each year, with only 270 being recycled. That means 44% are being sent to landfill.

​

​What is plastic?

Plastic is any synthetic or semi-synthetic organic polymer and the name “plastic” refers to the property of plasticity, which is the ability to deform without breaking.

For the chemists amongst you, most plastics are formed in chains called organic polymers made up from thousands of small repeating molecules called monomers. The vast majority of these polymers are formed from chains of carbon atoms, sometimes with the intermittent addition of oxygen, nitrogen, or sulphur in the chain.

To customize the properties of a plastic, different molecular groups "hang" from this backbone, and it is the structure of these side chains that influences the properties of the polymer. On top of this polymers used to make a plastic are almost always mixed with additives, including colourants, plasticizers, stabilizers, and fillers. These additives affect the chemical composition, chemical properties, and mechanical properties of plastics, and further increase possible applications.

Plastic comes in so many different forms that it would take a book just to describe them all, so to make life simple here is a brief look at the most common type of plastic on the planet i.e. Polyethylene or polythene. The annual global production is around 80 million tonnes and its primary use is in packaging and containers e.g. Plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes, and bottles. Even polyethylene has a whole host of forms but most have the same chemical formula of (C2H4) repeated over and over again.

It is such a simple concept but has so much flexibility and strength at the same time.

The raw materials for this and other plastics come from many places (some even use salt!), but most have been made from the hydrocarbons that are readily available in natural gas, oil and coal, not surprisingly 5% of the world’s oil production currently goes into its manufacture.

Apart from the myriad of plastic forms, there are two basic types, thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers. The former can be heated and re-moulded over and over again and are relatively easy to recycle whereas the latter solidify into a permanent shape, and can be a recycling nightmare.​

Why plastic is amazing

The first documented plastic was created in 1855 by the British inventor and metallurgist Alexander Parkes who used natural cellulose in combination with nitric acid and chemical solvents to create a plastic he patented as "Parkesine." However the first totally human-made, completely synthetic plastic came about in 1907 when Belgian-born, New York-based Leo Baekeland used hydrocarbon chemicals he derived from coal to create Bakelite. Initially this material was used in radio and television casings, kitchenware and even toys, then as an understanding of it’s versatility increased it came to be known as ‘the material of a thousand uses’.

And so we emerged the plastic era and it especially took off following World War II when it was used to make all kinds of day to day household items.

Today there are thousands of different types of plastics, worldwide we manufacture around 300 million tonnes of the stuff. Not surprising really because it is strong, versatile, lightweight, flexible, moisture resistant, durable, virtually indestructible, chemical resistant and low cost.

These are wonderful useful qualities, and plastic plays many important roles in life on Earth.

It seems to be the ideal product for manufacturing just about anything!

Most UK families throw away about 40kg of plastic per year.

Most plastics are formed in chains called organic polymers made up from thousands of small repeating molecules.

5% of the world’s oil production currently goes into the manufacture of plastic.

Plastic plays an important part in life, even being a component in artificial limbs.

Why plastic is a disaster for the environment

Now we need to look at why plastic is so bad for our environment and us.

At last we have cottoned on to the fact that plastic is causing unprecedented environmental problems and harbours serious health risks.

Every part of the lifetime of plastic leads to environmental pollution. The manufacture of plastic, as well as its destruction by incineration, pollutes air, land and water and exposes workers to toxic chemicals, including carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals).

As we have mentioned several times, synthetic plastic does not biodegrade. If dumped in landfill it just sits and accumulates or pollutes the environment. Plastics have become a municipal waste nightmare, prompting local governments all over the world to implement plastic bag, and increasingly polystyrene bans - hooray!

Plastic pollution may not even be visible to the naked eye as research is showing that microscopic plastic particles are present in the air at various locations throughout the world and in all major oceans. Plastic is now ubiquitous in our terrestrial, aquatic and airborne environments - that is, it's everywhere...​

Plastic in our oceans

Plastics appear as pollutants in the aqueous environment in various forms, the most commonly known are macroscopic pieces, microbeads and micro-plastic fibres.​

​Macroscopic pieces

Plastic is referred to as macroscopic if particles are more than about 5 mm. Found especially in the aquatic environment, macroscopic plastic can be dumped, blown or washed into our oceans. Plastic bags in particular pose a serious danger to larger organisms.​

​Microbeads

Microbeads are manufactured solid plastic particles of less than one millimetre. They are most frequently made of polyethylene but can be made of other petrochemical plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene. They are used in exfoliating personal care products, toothpastes and in biomedical and health-science research.

Microbeads are washed down our sinks and find their way to rivers and eventually the sea where they can cause plastic particle water pollution and pose an environmental hazard for aquatic animals in freshwater and ocean water.

Thankfully America and UK have now banned the use of these products, however there is still a huge residual reservoir of beads in the environment and many countries have not yet banned them.​

Micro-plastic fibres

Synthetic clothing materials are made from micro-plastic fibres woven together. When we wash these clothes, hundreds of thousands of the fibres are shed into our water system and they eventually end up in our seas in vast volumes. These fibres are tiny - 0.000015m in diameter and 6mm long.

A 6kg wash load can produce vast numbers of micro-plastic fibres

Polyester / cotton - 140,000

Polyester - 500,000

Acrylic - 730,000

They cause a huge problem for organisms at planktonic level in our seas and from this level make their way up the food chain, eventually to us.

Plastic pollution in our oceans is on a global scale, in just 100 years, we have succeeded in polluting every single part of our planet.

In 2011 it was estimated that there were 5.25 trillion particles of plastic in our seas and within 30 years the mass of plastic will be greater than the entire biomass of plants and organisms living in the aquatic environment.

Many of us are now aware of the vast plastic garbage patch in the Pacific ocean, but similar problems are present in every other ocean as well.

These mass concentrations of plastic are caused by gyres. A gyre is a rotating ocean current which as it slowly turns pushes marine debris particles such as plastics, chemical sludge and other rubbish towards it’s centre. The area of this pollution in the Northern Pacific where plastic is at least 5.1mg / cubic metre throughout the water column is thought to be anything from 700,000 to 15,000,000 square kilometres.

On the whole these plastic pieces are at microscopic level so we do not even see them - it is east to adopt an ‘out of sight out of mind’ attitude to this problem!​

Plastic particles in bottled water

​The State University of New York in Fredonia tested many major brands of bottled water and found that nearly all of them contained tiny particles of plastic.

The research, based on analysis of 250 bottles from 9 different countries, discovered an average of 10 plastic particles per litre, each larger than the width of a human hair.

No-one knows what the long term effects on human health will be, but the discovery is a worrying development.

Plastics now appear as pollutants in oceans across the world. Macroscopic pieces are anything larger than 5mm.

Microbeads are washed down our sinks and eventually the sea where they cause plastic particle water pollution.

When we wash clothes, hundreds of thousands of micro-fibres are shed, eventually ending up in our seas in vast volumes.

In just 100 years, we have succeeded in polluting every single part of our planet.

Research on major brands of bottled water has found they contain plastic particles...

The danger of plastics to all organisms

The macroscopic (visible to the naked eye) level

​At the macroscopic level, plastics can be ingested by a whole range of organisms such as whales, dolphins, turtles and even albatrosses.

Many of these organisms mistake the plastic as food sources and eat large volumes in a relatively short period of time. A particularly sad example of this mistaken identity is shown by turtles which eat floating carrier bags thinking they are jellyfish (which they prey on). The bags remain in the stomach of the turtle and eventually the poor animal starves to death.

Another species particularly prone to plastic ingestion is the Laysan Albatross. In a study of 1.5 million birds that inhabit Midway Island in the Pacific, it was found nearly all had plastic in their digestive system. Approximately one-third of their chicks die, and many of those deaths are due to being fed plastic from their parents. Twenty tons of plastic debris washes up on Midway every year with five tons of that debris being fed to Albatross chicks.

There is the additional problem of animals, birds and fish being trapped in plastic. Once trapped they inevitably die. Six pack rings pose a particularly nasty risk. There are endless images on the internet of these wrapped around sea birds and other marine organisms and eventually they die a slow lingering death. Here’s where you can make a difference, if you see an intact ring, cut it open or better still, pick it up and recycle it.

In total millions of birds and marine animals die each year from consuming or becoming caught in plastic and other debris.​

The microscopic level

Microbeads and similar sized particles of plastic affect organisms lower down the food chain. For example small fish will mistake the particles for planktonic food and eat them. Once again they may die of starvation.

At the lower end of the food chain we find plankton and filter feeders. These organisms are most vulnerable to pollution from tiny plastic particles including micro-plastic fibres. They ingest the plastic pieces which can lead to blockages and death.​

​Effects of plastic toxins and absorbed chemicals

​At another level plastic pollution is manifesting itself in far more sinister ways.

Firstly - plastics contain additives that are toxic and they also absorb toxins already present in the aquatic environment. When ingested these toxins pass into the tissues of the feeding organism, accumulating there and poisoning whatever has eaten the plastic.

Secondly - toxins in plastic additives such as phthalates can leach out of the plastic into the aquatic environment, poisoning filter feeding organisms that absorb the chemicals.

Some of these toxins are known to be very dangerous for example:

Bisphenol A

PFC’s

PCB’s

These toxins bio-accumulate in the tissues of organisms and increase in concentration as they move up the food chain. The result of this is that by the time we eat a fish we may be ingesting relatively high levels of toxins.

By our own hand we are poisoning ourselves...​

​Health problems caused by toxins from plastics

Evidence is growing that chemicals leached from plastics used in cooking and food/drink storage and passing up the food chain to our dinner plate are harmful to human health. Some of the most disturbing of these are hormone-mimicking, endocrine disruptors, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates in PVC.

The plastic polycarbonate - used for water bottles and various other items requiring a hard, clear plastic - is composed primarily of BPA. Peer-reviewed scientific studies have linked BPA to health problems that include chromosomal and reproductive system abnormalities, impaired brain and neurological functions, cancer, cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, early puberty, obesity and resistance to chemotherapy.

Exposure to BPA at a young age can cause genetic damage, and BPA has been linked to recurrent miscarriage in women.

Of the thousands of chemical additives in plastics - and which manufacturers are not required to disclose - one type commonly added to plastics are "plasticizers," which are softening agents making it easier for the polymer chains to move and flex. For example, the commonly used and extremely toxic plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can contain up to 55% plasticizing additives by weight. These are generally phthalate chemicals. Phthalates are known to disrupt the endocrine system as well, and have been linked to numerous health conditions including cancers. Certain phthalates have already been banned in Europe and the U.S. for use in certain products, such as toys.

The health risks of plastic are significantly amplified in children, whose immune and organ systems are developing and are more vulnerable. The evidence of health risks from certain plastics is increasingly appearing in established, peer-reviewed scientific journals.

If plastics are slowly poisoning us then we need to press our governments for drastic action. They soon responded to ban smoking, but this is an altogether bigger problem.

​Plastics are poisoning us all and we need to see a big response from big business and politicians at the top, down to us all as individuals to this ever growing disaster.

Although PCB discharges into the Hudson river (in the USA) ended in 1977, significant amounts of this toxic chemical remain in the river's bottom. Just read this sign...

Evidence is growing that chemicals leached from plastics used in cooking and food/drink storage and passing up the food chain to our dinner plate are harmful to human health.

Plasticizers are softening agents that make plastic easier to move and flex.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Reduce your plastic use

The most obvious thing to do is reduce our usage of plastics. Unfortunately the opposite is happening, we are increasing plastic production by around 4% per year.

Reducing our dependence on plastic will take a huge effort. It is too easy to walk into any shop and buy a product wrapped in plastic packaging, it takes more effort to find a similar product which is free of packaging.

Perhaps the better method is to regularly complain to retailers that we do not want as much packaging on the products we buy. If they see this as a possible reduction in sales, they will soon start to press their suppliers to change things. Give it a go.

It’s already happening after the UK introduced payment for single use carrier bags, which has resulted in a reduction of up to 80%. It was estimated the reduction in the first 6 months was in the order of 6 billion bags.

In the last year Delhi has made a drastic decision in an attempt to reduce the unsustainable growth of plastic, the local government has the use of banned single use plastic containers. It will be interesting to see how this progresses.

The simplest way to reduce your plastic consumption is don’t buy as much stuff. Think carefully before you hand over the money or click ‘buy’ on a retail website. Is it really useful or needed? Sometimes the best way to buy is leave it for 24 hours then if you still think it is essential for your life then complete the purchase. ​In supermarkets, look for loose products, you can avoid loads of packaging if you pop individual fruit and veg into your basket.​

Recycle the recyclable plastics

Surely everyone knows that we all have to recycle plastic, however there is still a significant part of the population that can’t be bothered or are just too cynical about where the plastic ends up. Hopefully any disbelievers who read the information given by Ecofrenzy in this section will start to appreciate the importance of the problem and take some responsibility for the future of their children and their children’s children.

Many forms of plastic can be recycled, however there are still too many types that go to landfill or incineration. This is where we appreciate people’s frustration, they want to help but it can be difficult.

At the end of this section, Ecofrenzy will propose a new idea which if implemented on a countrywide scale could help recycling.

Before that, here are the common labels you will find on plastic packaging - confusing we know, but once you have familiarised yourselves with these recycling symbols you will find it easier to know what to do with the various types of plastic. You may also have to check with your local council which plastics their recycling facilities accept.​Some countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Germany have introduced plastic bottle deposit schemes, what a brilliant incentive to encourage recycling.

In the UK we only recycle around 50% of our plastic, whereas countries that adopt a deposit scheme see their recycling rise to as much as 94% - come on UK!​

Hard Plastic

Referring to harder and heavier plastic packaging, such as trays, this logo tells you that this part of the packaging is only recycled by 20-70% of local council's.

​Check with your local council before putting this material into your recycling bin.

Plastic Film

This logo appears all too frequently on packaging and generally refers to thin plastic film.

This part of packaging is only being recycled by 20% of councils. You should still check with your local council whether this material is being recycled in your area, because it does not definitively mean it’s not recycled.

Carrier Bags

Some plastic films can be recycled at carrier bag collection points at major supermarkets.

Look for loose products in supermarkets and just pop them in your basket, you'll avoid using a lot of plastic packaging.

Check the recycling labels on all packaging and recycle as much plastic as you can.

Countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Germany have introduced plastic bottle deposit schemes.

​Save money and save plastic

Don’t buy bottled water

It can be 1,000 times more expensive than tap water! Would you rather pay £1 for 1 litre of water or just 0.01p? Why not buy one plastic bottle and fill it repeatedly with tap water? You will save a lot of money also reduce your plastic waste imprint. A win win! If you were only buying bottled water 3 times a week, minimising that could save around £150 per year and potentially remove more than 100 bottles from the sea of plastic.​

Food waste also creates extra packaging waste

Did you know the average family wastes £700 worth of food per year. Buy what you need, try to avoid over spending and wasting loads of food plus all the packaging. Take a list and stick to it!!​

Fancy a coffee? Take your own cup

If you fancy a coffee, pop into one of the major chains but take your own cup. Some of them will now fill your cup and give you a 20p to 50p discount on the coffee. A nice little saving and a help to reduce the billions of takeaway coffee cups that end up in landfill. Sadly it is the small percentage of plastic mixed with wood pulp in the cup that makes them so difficult to recycle.

Pret - 50p

Starbucks - 25p

Costa - 25p

Greggs - 20p

Café Nero - double loyalty stamps

Ignore sweets and crisps

Go for a healthier, cheaper and less polluting option, such as an apple. A loose apple has no packaging and will cost around 35p compared to an average packet of crisps at 60p. If you did this every working day that is a saving of £1.25 per week or £50 per year. On top of that most crisp and sweet packaging is not recyclable so you also avoid dumping plastic into land-fill or maybe even the sea.​

Take your own carrier bags when shopping

​If you are buying loose items it is even more important to take your own carrier bags. We wince whenever we see someone shelling out 5p per bag, it’s such a waste of money and plastic. Since our government brought in the pay for bags law, single use bag volumes have decreased by 80% (about 7 billion bags). We can do it, we just need a little persuasion.​

​If you can afford it, bulk buy

You tend to save money and reduce packaging at the same time. For example, if you buy recycled toilet rolls from Sainsbury’s you pay £3.30 for a pack of 9, compared to £1.80 for a pack of 4, that’s a saving of 19.5%. Reduced packaging for bulk buying works as follows. The surface area to volume ratio reduces as items become larger, so relatively speaking a larger pack requires less packaging per item. We hope that makes sense!

​This applies to any product wrapped in plastic so always look to buy bulk items. If you extend this to food it still works, but beware, if you have too much of one item it may go off. The easy solution is to cook in batches and freeze any excess for another day. This is a 3 way win: saved money, saved packaging and saved time!​

Buy loose fruit and veg products

Just pile them into your trolley or basket, take them to the checkout and then put them straight into your carrier bag. No plastic is used, and you can save money. Here is a perfect example: Royal Gala apples from Sainsbury’s. A pack of 4 apples weighed 630g and cost £1.45, that is £2.30 per kg, the loose apples were £2.00 per kg, a 15% saving.

Alternatively, try going to a local market, it’s even simpler. Just take your own bags and the stall holder will pour the fruit and veg straight in. No packaging and big money savings. Just be aware that some of this produce can go off quickly so only buy what you need.​

Grow your own fruit and veg

​If you have the inclination and the space how about growing some of your own produce. You only need a windowsill in the sun to grow cress or lettuce or a few carrots. For the more adventurous of you with a garden, try setting aside an area to grow carrots, tomatoes, beetroot, radishes, lettuce, parsnips, leeks and whatever else grabs your fancy, it’s all pretty simple. Just 3 x 1m areas can supply a whole range of products in good volumes, you can save £££’s if you are clever. And just wait until you tuck into that grub, it tastes so much better, and of course there is no plastic!!​

Who is crazy enough to buy pre-prepared bags of vegetables?!

Here is just one example, a well known brand of pre-prepared bagged carrots in Sainsbury’s costs £1.67/kg, whereas the same brand of carrots sold intact and loose was just £0.60/kg (we weighed them!!). Take into account the actions of topping, tailing and peeling (a loss of about 15% of the mass of the carrot) and the saving is just under £1.00/kg. Also think about the reduced plastic waste. Big savings all round.​

Clean windows with undiluted white vinegar in a spray bottle

​Refill your 1 litre spray bottle every month and you’ll save about £4.80 per year, and reduce your plastic pollution by up to 12 times.​

Think before buying supermarket flowers

A beautiful bunch of blooms for your partner, what a lovely idea! Unfortunately it may not be... Those flowers are wrapped in plastic, they may have come from Kenya or a greenhouse in the Netherlands, bumping up your CO₂ imprint as well as your plastic mini mountain.​

Protect seedlings with a plastic bottle cloche

Once planted out, seedlings are vulnerable to attack from pigeons, slugs and many other pests so it is a good idea to protect them with a cloche. Rather than buying a bespoke plastic product ask your friends and family for old plastic drinks bottles, cut off the bottom, secure them over your plants and hey presto you have a ready made cloche to help young plants until they are established and growing strongly. 10 of these can save you £40 compared to an equivalent shop bought product.​

Use a ‘Paper Potter’ to make plant pots from old newspapers

By making your own plant pots ​you avoid the cost of buying plastic ones. After making the first 24 pots (to cover the cost of the potter) you will save about 50p per plant, which is £25 per 50 plants.

Buying one plastic bottle and refilling it repeatedly with tap water will save money and reduce your plastic waste imprint.

Fancy a coffee? Take your own cup to one of the major chains and they will fill it for you and give a discount.

Take your own carrier bags when shopping.

​If you can afford it, bulk buy. You tend to save money and reduce packaging at the same time.

Grow your own fruit and veg, it tastes better and there's no plastic packaging!

Supermarket flowers are wrapped in plastic, and may have come from Kenya or a greenhouse in the Netherlands, bumping up your CO₂ imprint.

A new recycling idea from Ecofrenzy

How about something revolutionary in the world of recycling?

Why don’t we make it so simple that we all know which packaging can be recycled and where we put it?

How many times do you have a look at a piece of plastic film or a plastic tray engulfing a small morsel of food and wonder, is that recyclable?​Currently we look for some kind of recycling mark or symbol and then become confused as to what it means.

Here's a simple solution!

All councils in UK come together and agree on a uniform number and colour of bins for each household. At the same time they have to agree which materials they can all recycle (initially this could be a stumbling block as different councils have different recycling facilities, however nothing is insurmountable, as other countries have proved).

Blue for material that can be recycled

Green for organic material that can be composted

Black for items that cannot be composted or recycled.

Next the joint councils go to packaging manufacturers and ask for a simple change to packaging.

If a material can be recycled it has a blue bin shape printed in a prominent position, if organic and compostable material, then a green bin shape is printed. Similarly if a material is not recyclable, then it has a black bin shape printed instead.

Then all consumers simply marry up the colour bin shape on the packaging to the correct colour bin outside their home, and hey presto, recycling made easy for everyone.

EcoFrenzy idea for consistent and easy to understand recycling and packaging symbols.

​Alternatives to Plastic

There are and always were many alternatives to plastics. Glass, wood, stainless steel, natural rubber, wool, hemp, bamboo, jute and cotton are just a few.

Skip the store-bought and make your own homemade dishwashing detergent to store in a glass jar or stainless steel container.

Dustpan

Sweep dust out the door or use a stainless steel dustpan.

Food storage

Glass and/or stainless steel containers.

Hard hat

V-Gard GREEN Helmet (non-petroleum 'plastic', made from sugarcane).

Ice cube tray

Stainless steel is best; also silicone, or natural rubber (if you're using an automatic ice cube maker, you're out of luck)!

Lint roller

​Wooden and natural rubber lint brush.

Lunchbox

​Fabric lunch bags or stainless steel box.

Media cases (CDs, DVDs, etc)

Purchase digital through iTunes or Amazon, or watch online through Amazon Instant Video or Netflix, etc.

Office supplies

Check out paper tape (skip the dispenser); Many pens come with metal shells; you can often find all-metal scissors at craft stores (check the sewing department); choose mouldable or square erasers (as well as single pens) from bins instead of in plastic packaging; look for metal thumb tacks, etc.

Razors (disposable)

All-metal razors and blades (non-disposable).

Rugs

Many are made from synthetic polyester or recycled plastic. Choose natural wool, help, jute, or cotton. Choose a silicone non-slip pad underneath.

​Seasoning containers

​Choose seasonings that come in glass with a metal lid, recycle the plastic topper inside, and consider growing and drying your own in the future.

Ask councils to become actively involved in educating the general public

Press the government for legislation on all aspects of clothing for new material development and coatings to reduce fibre shedding

Work with water companies to investigate viable options to remove fibres at a mass level for the future

Press the government to set aside funding to research the problem and develop solutions

​

​Take action

​There is a growing community of people and organisations all over the world who are working to decrease plastic use and pollution and create tangible change at all levels - personal, local, regional, national and global. Join the ever increasing number of people who are getting involved, here are a few organisations specifically taking action to reduce plastic:

Beat The Microbead (An international campaign against microplastic ingredients in cosmetics). ​

Plastic Oceans (Working to change the way we deal with plastic waste by challenging society’s perception that this indestructible substance can be treated as ‘disposable’).​

Life Without Plastic (A one-stop shop for safe, high quality, ethically-sourced, Earth-friendly alternatives to plastic products.

Sealife Trust (A charity working globally to protect the world’s oceans and the amazing marine life that lives within them).

EcoWatch (A leading environmental news site engaging millions of concerned individuals every month).

Plastic Pollution Coalition (A growing global alliance of individuals, organizations, businesses, and policymakers working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, animals, waterways and oceans, and the environment).

Less Plastic (Raising awareness of the problems of plastic pollution, and offer reusable alternatives to disposable products to reduce the flow of plastic litter making its way into landfills and oceans).

​Great ideas to help reduce plastic in our environment

Most of the ideas for alternative materials, re-using and re-cycling plastics are for new products, however what should we do with the millions of tonnes of plastics already in our seas? Here are a few ideas that could help...​

The ocean clean-up

For the future, ‘The ocean clean-up’ aims to strip 70 million kilos of plastic from the sea in 10 years.

Described as ‘the largest structure ever deployed on the oceans’, the barriers would be arranged in two 50km arms connected to a central platform, forming a V-shape. These would only filter the top three metres of water, as Slat's studies found that this was where the highest concentration of plastic rubbish could be found in the world's oceans.

As plastic is caught in the array, the motion of the water would push it naturally towards the platform, where the debris can be extracted and sorted.

“The Ocean Cleanup estimates the cost of removing one kilogram of plastic at €4.53” said the organisation. "This is 33 times cheaper than conventional ocean clean-up methods, while also being an estimated 7,900 times faster." ​

​Seabin

Two Australians have invented something similar to an automated pool cleaner - used in marinas, harbours, ports and even inland waters like rivers and lakes - it sucks up rubbish, while filtering out the water. They call it the ‘Seabin’ and already have units in operation. It is an ongoing project and the idea looks set to catch on around the world.​

​Floating platform

This Floating Platform Could Filter the Plastic from our Polluted Oceans

Cristian Ehrmantraut has developed a prototype for a floating platform that filters the ocean and absorbs plastic. Located 4 km from the coast of Easter Island, close to the centre of the mega-vortex of plastic located in the South Pacific, the tetrahedral platform performs a kind of dialysis, allowing the natural environment to be recovered as well as energy and food to be produced.​These and other ideas are needed now to help clean our oceans!​

Click these icons wherever you see them for tips when buying new products.

EcoFrenzy has researched the market and to the best of our knowledge, figures and data are accurate at the time of publication. EcoFrenzy is not responsible for any inaccuracies and will not engage in correspondence, but will update facts and figures when necessary or appropriate.​

The data we use to work out energy and water costs come from a range of reliable international sources to give an average figure. Figures are rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.​* Total amounts potentially saved do not include lighting in individual rooms, or use of secondary heating.